Steven Anthony Geller (born November 4, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who serves on the

Broward County Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 ...

Commission for District 5. As of November 2020, Geller was the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Broward County from November 2020 till November 2021. He was the former

vice mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

from November 2019 till November 2020.

Early life and education

Geller was born in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

and moved to Florida with his family in 1969. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1979 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

in 1982, both from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

Career

Law

Geller is an actively practicing attorney. He was a shareholder at the national law firm of Greenspoon Marder, and is the principal of Geller Law Firm, P.A., where he practices in the areas of zoning and land use, gaming law, lobbying and administrative law, first party property insurance law, and commercial litigation. He has been practicing law since 1982, is A-V rated by Martindale Hubbell, has been listed in Florida Superlawyers, and the Bar Register of Distinguished Attorneys. He is of-counsel to the law firm of Sachs Sax Caplan.

Politics and government

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he previously served in the

Florida Legislature The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Cons ...

from 1988 to 2008. He was a member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

from 1988 through 1999. He was elected to the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

in a special election in 1999, and re-elected until term limits forced his retirement in 2008. He served as Senate Minority (Democratic) Leader from 2006 to 2008. Geller was appointed by different Republican Senate presidents as a committee chair in 2000 and again in 2002. Geller also served as the Democratic ranking member on numerous committees, and co-chaired the Select Committee on Property Insurance Accountability. He serves as chair of the South Florida Regional Planning Council, on the board of directors of the Florida Association of Counties, as chair of the Broward County Water Advisory Board, and on the Broward County Cultural Council. Geller was first elected to the Broward County Commission in 2016, and was re-elected without opposition in 2020. Geller served as a national leader in several different legislative organizations. He served on many committees and as national president of both the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) and the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS). Geller also served as Chairman of the National Public Sector Gaming Study Commission. Geller currently serves as the pro bono General Counsel of NCLGS. Geller served and serves on many Democratic organizations. He was a superdelegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 2008. He served as parliamentarian of the

Florida Democratic Party The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Florida, headquartered in Tallahassee. Former mayor of Miami Manny Diaz Sr. is the current chair. Andrew Jackson, the first territorial governor o ...

from 1982 to 1996 and as state president of the Florida Young Democrats in 1980–1981. He currently serves on the state executive committee of the Florida Democratic Party. He also serves as chair of the Real Solutions Caucus, a group of approximately 35 current and former Broward County Democratic elected officials. He is a past chairman of the board of the

Holocaust Documentation & Education Center The Holocaust Documentation & Education Center, located at 303 N. Federal Highway, Dania Beach, Florida, was founded in 1980. The Center is raising funds to build the first South Florida Holocaust Museum, which will – uniquely for a museum of this ...

(HDEC).

Personal life

He is married to Laurel Geller (née Leffler) and has two sons.

References

External links

Greenspoon Marder, P.A.: Steven Geller - Law Firm Profile (Practice Areas: Zoning, Land Use, Gambling)
, - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Geller, Steven Democratic Party Florida state senators People from the Bronx Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives 1958 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Florida State University alumni Florida State University College of Law alumni People from Broward County, Florida